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CNN Live Today

Top White House Counselor Resigns

Aired April 23, 2002 - 13:14   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Now to Washington and a shake-up in President Bush's top staff. White House counselor Karen Hughes says she's resigning effective this summer. For a look at the political impact on the Bush administration, we'll talk with CNN senior White House correspondent John King and senior political correspondent Candy Crowley.

But first, this profile of Karen Hughes that CNN White House correspondent Kelly Wallace did for us last May.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KELLY WALLACE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When President Bush makes a major announcement, Karen Hughes is there. And when he hits the road to tout his domestic agenda, she packs her bags, too. Hughes is one of Mr. Bush's most trusted advisers and is also the highest ranking woman ever to work in the White House. But that's not a description she really likes.

KAREN HUGHES, COUNSELOR TO THE PRESIDENT: I really cringe, and I don't know why.

WALLACE: Hughes wants to make clear the president has a very big inner circle.

(on camera): You don't want to single yourself out?

HUGHES: No, I really don't because the -- his leadership style and the model of the way the White House works is a team.

WALLACE (voice-over): But her colleagues say no one knows the president better. She knows him so well that she can, and often does, change his speeches to put them into his words.

HUGHES: I've worked for him for long enough that I hear, I'm not sure I have my own voice anymore. I hear his voice in my head.

WALLACE: Hughes manages a staff of 43. The main focus, getting the president's message out. But she also weighs in on all major decisions, with Mr. Bush often asking aides what does Karen think.

DAN BARTLETT, DEPUTY TO THE COUNSELOR TO THE PRESIDENT: When I replace her in a meeting as her deputy, particularly with the president, I might be asked about my opinion and then I'm quickly asked if that opinion has been vetted by Karen.

WALLACE: During the presidential campaign, Hughes established herself as a fierce defender of her boss' record. She's worked with him since his first run for governor back in 1994 and refuses publicly or privately to acknowledge any of the president's potential shortcomings.

HUGHES: My job is to communicate his message, not to go out and try to undermine it any way by critiquing it. There's plenty of people available 24 hours a day, I'm sure, to criticize what we're doing.

WALLACE: Hughes is often in her West Wing office before 7:00 A.M. and on her way home to her family by 7:00 P.M. But on Wednesdays, she leaves even earlier to be with her 14-year-old son.

HUGHES: Someone in his school told me that he had said well, I'm not going to see my mom much anymore, she has to work all the time now, which broke my heart. It did. It broke my heart and so I was looking for a way to make sure, to let him know that he is my priority.

WALLACE: Her priority at the White House, helping the president, but also not being afraid to tell him what she thinks.

HUGHES: He welcomes, he wants people, his staff to give him their honest opinions.

WALLACE: That honesty combined with loyalty over the years has made her one of the most valued aides to George W. Bush and -- she may cringe at this -- one of the most powerful women in Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: And it just a number of minutes ago that President Bush was meeting with Moroccan King Mohammed VI talking about trade and terrorism. And he did make a comment about Karen Hughes leaving the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Karen Hughes will be changing her address but she will still be in my inner circle. I value her judgment and I will have her judgment. I value her advice. I have her advice. And I value her friendship and I will have her friendship.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Now to the political implications of this shake-up. Senior White House correspondent John King joins us again from Washington. And CNN senior political correspondent Candy Crowley is in New York. Thanks so much, Candy, for getting onboard with us.

Let's begin with you. You know Karen very well. Did this surprise you? CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SR. POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Actually, you know, it didn't because of this -- a couple of weeks ago I talked with her and did in fact asked her how her son was doing. And it's tough for a teenager to literally move halfway across the country and leave his friends behind. And there were indications and she said, you know, it's tough. You know, it's hard to do this and so there's some difficultly. I know she was looking forward for baseball season. Her son is a big baseball player and hoping that that would sort of help, you know, ease his transition here.

But I think they all missed Texas. But I think primarily her husband and her son did. So it doesn't come as a surprise in that sense. However, did I, at the time, think uh-oh, she's leaving? No, because she is very loyal to this president as you saw in that piece by Kelly. This had to be a really, really tough decision for her.

PHILLIPS: When you were on the campaign trail with her and with Karen Hughes' son. Do you remember the interaction between her and her son? Do you remember her son coming up to her and saying anything, mom, can we go home? Can we cut this short?

CROWLEY: Actually, I think on the campaign trial, he had a great time. I mean, you know, this was one of those things that he took a semester off from school, from that whole September through the -- actually, as it turns out, through the rest of the year because then they moved to Washington.

But, no, I do remember them together. It's a very close mother and son. She missed him terribly. I remember a lot of times she would say, it would be a Thursday or a Friday, and he would say, I'm leaving. And we'd say, well, where are you going because we would be in, you know, Ohio or some place. And she'd say the president told her -- I'm sorry, at the time, the governor told me I needed to go home because Robert is going to play baseball. So she was always very attuned to him and his needs, and it's not surprising to see that that still holds true.

PHILLIPS: And, John, of course, Karen Hughes always in tune with the president's needs. How much did the president really rely on her? I mean this was the main person, right?

JOHN KING, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: She is, in the words of another top adviser here at the White House, the most influential person in his political life. No major speech, no major announcement, no major event happens here at the White House without it going through Karen. Much of it originates from Karen.

She's the one who has been the lead, if you will. There are others who support her and she makes that clear in that interview you saw with Kelly Wallace. But in debating what should the president be doing not only today and tomorrow, but let's think this out two weeks, three weeks, four weeks and coordinate how we promote a legislative agenda, how we promote any policy announcements. Of course, it is through here. There are key staffers at the White House who serve as our, in the media, eyes and ears if you will. And if it's through her, we have seen a snapshot of the president at key moments. She was one of the early ones telling us after September 11 the president called her in and said this changes everything. The war on terrorism now will be the focus on this administration. So she has amazing proximity to a president, her own little glimpse on history and an incredibly important role in this White House.

PHILLIPS: And with such an impact, Candy, what kind of political ramifications do you see now? Are we going to see a big difference in the way the president does his speeches, addresses people, acts towards folks in events?

CROWLEY: I take them at their word that she's still going to be advising him. I think actually at a certain level this -- it's hard for me to imagine who is going to be sadder about this, Karen or the president.

I think that they have a mutual admiration society. I think the president is one of those who has a comfort zone. We've talked about that a lot and he is very comfortable obviously with Karen over all the others. And I think that's a huge listening post to lose. It always matters, the proximity.

As far as his speeches are concerned, I think his speech writers seem to have gotten to the point where they can put what used to be very flowery words early on in the campaign, beautiful speeches, but they just seemed a little weird coming out of the governor at that time. And Karen would take them and put them into Bush-speak. I think there are others now that can do that. But I think that there's no underestimating what a hole this leaves both personally and professionally for both of them.

PHILLIPS: Candy Crowley out of New York and CNN White House correspondent John King there at the White House, thank you both very much. We will continue to talk about this throughout the morning.

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